Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain.

Thursday night: Flurries 3-5 cm, ridgetop winds moderate west, low of -5.

Friday: Flurries 10-15 cm, ridgetop winds moderate to strong southwest, high of -3.

Saturday: Cloudy with isolated flurries 0-3 cm, ridgetop winds light northwest, high of -5.

Sunday: A mix of sun and cloud, ridgetop winds light northwest, high of -12.

Recent snowfall has been incremental, warm and sticky and seems to be stabilizing as it accumulates. We have received no reports of avalanche activity or signs of instability. If snowfall intensifies on Friday, rapidly developing wind slabs may become reactive.

Around 10 cm of recent snow and strong southerly winds are building fresh wind slabs on lee features. These wind slabs are sitting on a variety of wind affected surfaces and/or a crust that extends up to at least 1200 m on all aspects. Below this, the mid-pack is generally well-settled and strong in most areas.

Weak facets (sugary snow) exist at the base of the snowpack, especially in more shallow snowpack areas further inland.

• Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 20 cm of new snow.
• Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
• Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
• Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
• Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.